How to make spikes with a hand router. We make the thorns with a hand router. The choice of power tools, cutters

Dovetail, detachable spike connection (trapezoidal grooves) used in mechanical engineering and joinery for reliable fastening of parts to each other. In this material, we will consider the manufacture of devices that facilitate the production of grooves in a tree using a hand mill.

DIY wood router accessories

The machine itself is a very ancient invention of mankind, descriptions of the principles of milling appeared in the 16th century, and the prototype of the machine was the invention of Leonardo da Vinci, who proposed rotating a round file to increase the processing of a product, which can be considered the first analogue of a cutter.

And already the American inventor Eli Whitney, over the years from 1765 to 1825, brought to mind all scattered attempts to create a full-fledged machine, for which he is rightfully considered the creator of the first milling machine, although not all scientists agree with this statement.

And since the machine has such ancient roots, there are a great many adaptations for the manufacture of various parts, it is not possible to describe them all in the light of this material, and therefore we will consider only some of them, in my opinion, the most important and useful.

Universal joint for tongue and groove connection

factory plate for making a tenon groove connection

Used with a router to cut the corresponding grooves and tenons, it is installed in a vice, and the part is pressed with a clamp to the device. Usually sold in stores.

connection appearance

Consider devices for milling grooves

Saw out the top - a table top of 18 mm plywood 40 cm long and wide enough to cut the thickest piece you plan to dowel.

Cut out two 5x10 cm bars, sawing off the same length as the top. In the future, the bars will play the role of pressing the workpiece and centering it relative to the groove in the table top. To prepare the top, draw a line in the center of the top, then mill a notch along the line at one end.

schematic representation of a tooling

note

The indentation should be the same width as the copying ring that you will use with your router bit. The indentation should be long enough to match the length of the longest slot you are about to cut.

Then, mill two adjustment slots perpendicular to the center line. Finally, drill an inspection hole between these two slots. To assemble the entire structure, screw the bolts into the jaws and secure the top to the bars with wing nuts and washers.

To use our equipment, draw a groove on the workpiece and mark a center line on it. Loosen the thumbs and place the blanks between the bars so that the center line meets the top line of the fit, check that the edge of the blank is opposite the top edge.

Pinch the lambs. Align the router bit to one end of the groove drawing, then mark the construction lines on the top of the table along the edge of the router base.

How to properly work with a tenon groove rig

Repeat this one more time to mark the lines at the other end. Mill the groove at the bottom starting the cut by aligning the router base with the first reference line and stop milling when the insert reaches the second reference line.

For a long time, a thorn-groove connection has been used in joinery and carpentry work. Ancient architects, using this method, managed to create unique wooden buildings without a single nail or screw. And although a wide variety of hardware is now quite available, the articulation of individual parts of various structures by this method not only has not lost its relevance, but is also widely used in modern products and materials.

Connection principle and its varieties

By design, all spike-groove connections are made according to the same principle: a protrusion is made on one part, and a recess on the second. They are exactly the same in configuration and size. When these two parts are tightly joined, a solid technological unit is obtained. When building houses, such a connection prevents one part of the structure from moving relative to another; in the manufacture of furniture, it significantly increases the area to which the adhesive is applied, thereby providing additional strength to the product.

According to the geometric shape of the protrusion and recess, such joints are divided into two main types:

• rectangular section (sometimes with rounded edges of spikes and grooves);

• in the form of a trapezoid (also called "dovetail").

According to the number of spikes and grooves that need to be made for one joint of parts, these joints are divided into:

• single-spike;
• multi-studded.

Important! Regardless of the number and geometric shape of the protrusions and recesses, they must be made only parallel to the wood grain.

Application area

The tongue-and-groove connection has found application in many areas of our everyday life... For example, when arranging the floors of premises according to this principle, such familiar to all coverings as laminate, ordinary flooring, chipboard, fiberboard or MDF boards are joined.

Wood, as one of the most environmentally friendly materials, is used for the manufacture of a wide variety of furniture (from a simple kitchen stool to a designer headset for a living room or dining room), roller blinds, blinds and much more. And all these products are mainly made using a thorn-groove connection.

When constructing wooden frame buildings, houses from a bar, when arranging a beam-rafter structure of the ceiling and roof, one also cannot do without arranging ledges and recesses.

Timber connection

A thorn - a groove in the connection of a bar is used both for arranging corner structures made of wood, and for longitudinal alignment of individual pieces. Depending on the dimensions of the section and the expected loads, the geometry and the number of protrusions and lugs are selected. For example, during construction wooden houses mostly use a single-tenon connection. And to increase the length of small-section bars using glue, a multi-stud method is used.

Joining boards

Almost all owners of suburban real estate have long fallen in love with such material as lining, as a result of which they get an absolutely flat vertical surface. Thorn - groove connection of boards is used for arranging floors, interior decoration at home, as well as for the external cladding of the building (naturally with an antiseptic coating).

The protrusions are tightly fixed in the grooves of adjacent boards, which prevents them from moving relative to each other. When arranging floors, the tight connection of grooved boards to each other prevents their displacement in the vertical plane (the floor turns out to be even) and significantly increases the heat-saving properties of the coating (there are simply no gaps between the boards).

Using a handheld electric router

Arrangement of spike joints - minimizes labor costs and significantly reduces the time for carpentry work. Of course, this useful tool will not help when building a house, for example, from a bar with a section of 150 x 150 mm, since there are no cutters of this size for a hand router, and the power of this unit will not be enough for their installation. But if you want to build furniture, small or door frames on your own, then such a tool is simply necessary. Depending on the size of the parts to be connected and the geometric configuration of the connection, you get the required cutter, or maybe two (one for cutting a groove, the other for making a spike). Milling tool adjusters and pilot bearings (usually included with these milling cutters) will help create ridges and depressions that are exactly the same size and shape.

DIY tools and fixtures

If you need to make a piece of wood product, then it is economically unprofitable to purchase an expensive electric router. Most likely, everyone on the farm will have the necessary set of tools, and if they have to buy in addition, then very little. In addition, additionally purchased devices may later be useful for the production of small renovation works (e.g. fixes wooden furniture). In order to make a spike-groove connection with your own hands using only ordinary hand tools, you will need:

• a hacksaw for wood (with small teeth);
• joiner's thickness gauge (a special device for marking) or a regular construction square;

• ruler and pencil;
• chisel for wood.

Self-made corner joint

As an example, consider how to make a spike-groove connection of two bars of the same section at a right angle using the tools at hand. Let's say you need to connect 60 x 60 mm (they may well be suitable for making window frames for a summer house).

The thickness of the protrusion with a single-spike connection (in accordance with the recommendations of the carpentry manuals) should be ⅓ ÷ ⅜ of the thickness of the bar (in your case, it will be 20 mm). The length of the spike will be equal to the thickness of the bar (60 mm). The dimensions of the groove must correspond to the dimensions of the spike, so that it enters the eyelet with effort.

Attention! The spikes must be fitted on the vertical parts of the wooden structure, and the grooves on the horizontal ones.

The work execution algorithm is quite simple:

• First, we mark the future protrusions and lugs. If you treat this process without proper attention, then the made spikes and grooves may not coincide with each other in size or relative position. There is also a danger that they will not fit into each other tightly. All this will significantly reduce the strength and reliability of the connection.
• Using a planer (or square), at a distance of 60 mm from the end, draw a line on all four sides of both bars.
• Then, on two opposite sides and on the end, we draw two parallel lines at a distance of 20 mm from each other.

• Along the marking lines with a hacksaw, we make cuts of the end to the transverse line, that is, to a depth of 60 mm.

On a note! So that the thickness of the cut (approximately equal to the setting of the teeth of the hacksaw blade) does not affect the accuracy of the joint, we install the saw blade from the outside (when arranging the spike) or from the inside (when making a groove).

• At the end of the bar with a ledge, saw off the outer pieces of wood.
• Using a chisel, carefully hollow out the inner part of the recess.

• We insert the spike into the groove and check the manufactured connection. If necessary, remove protruding defects with a chisel.

Finally

If you need to independently equip a thorn-groove, then it is best to practice on trimming bars.

If the made protrusions and grooves exactly coincided, and the articulation of the individual parts turned out to be strong, then you can start work on the prepared building material... Well, if the spike enters the groove too freely, or vice versa, then it is necessary to check again the correctness of the markings, conduct another training session, and only after that proceed with the implementation of the conceived project.

No matter what tools you have, you can successfully make and fit this time-tested connection. Just choose from these tried and tested methods using a variety of tools, from inexpensive tools that you probably have on hand to specialized machines.

Start with the basics: basic rules for thorn-and-socket connections

Regardless of how you shape the tenons and sockets, these tips will help you get the perfect fit, strong connections for any piece.

• Correct connections always start with a neat layout. Use a tried-and-true steel ruler and square, and apply the line with a sharpened pencil, thickness gauge, or marker knife.
• A simple rule that is easy to remember: when marking a socket at the end or edge, the thickness of the workpiece must be divided into three equal parts. The two outer thirds will become the walls of the nest, and the middle third must be removed. So, in a board 18 mm thick (picture below)a socket 6 mm wide is made in the center of the edge of the workpiece. When using material with a thickness of more than 18 mm, the width of the socket can be more than one third of the thickness of the workpiece, provided that the wall thickness of the socket is at least 6 mm - for reasons of strength.

Make the nests first

Method number 1. Simple drilling jig for dowel connections

The first two methods for sampling nests involve drilling a row of overlapping holes and removing excess material between them. The holes should be perpendicular to the edge of the board, and jigs for drilling holes for dowels do an excellent job with this task. They are especially suitable for materials with a thickness of about 18 mm, for which the common bushing diameter of 6 mm is suitable, just corresponding to the socket width. (Most of these tools are equipped with bushings for drilling holes with a diameter of 6, 8 and 10 mm, and some have a bushing for holes with a diameter of 12 mm.) If the drill jig was not equipped with a drill, get a twist drill for wood with a center point - this cuts cleaner and does not gives chipping on the surface.

To limit the depth of the hole, attach a retaining ring to the drill or make a "flag" from masking tape.

Holding the chisel perpendicular to the edge of the board, carefully cut away any irregularities in the walls of the nest. If the chisel is sharp, you won't need a mallet.

To make a nest, attach the fixture to the workpiece, placing it at the edge of the marked nest so that the edge of the hole barely touches the marking lines that indicate the edge and walls of the nest. Drill the hole after setting the required drilling depth. Do the same at the other end of the socket as shown. top left.Now reposition the jig and drill a few more holes between the two outer holes. Then drill the material between them, centering the drill on the bridges between them.

After removing most of the excess material, clean and level the sides of the nest with a chisel. Use a chisel that is as wide as the socket size will allow. If you prefer rectangular nests, trim the corners with a chisel that is the same width as the nest.

Method number 2. The same principle, but using a drilling machine

If you have a drilling machine, use it instead of an electric drill and drilling jig for greater productivity and accuracy. You will need a stop (at least in the form of a flat board attached to the machine table with clamps) to position the socket and ensure it is parallel to the edges of the workpiece. Using a square, check that the table is perpendicular to the drill. Install a pointed twist drill or Forster drill into the machine chuck, the central point of such drills prevents the drill from leaving the intended point. Adjust the drilling depth stop according to the depth of the slot.

As with the jig, first drill the holes at the ends of the future nest. Then drill a series of holes between them, leaving the bridges about 3 mm wide. When finished drilling, trim the walls and corners of the nest with a chisel.

Method number 3. Using a plunge router

This technique involves milling the socket with a depth increase of 6 mm per pass. In addition to the plunge cutter, you will need a sharp cutter (we recommend a spiral cutter with an upward spiral), as well as a side stop or a special device that holds the cutter within the marking lines. You can control the start and end points of the nest to be milled by eye or attach to the workpiece block-stops that limit the longitudinal travel of the router.

Homemade or factory nest milling attachment like the one shown in picture above,will be a versatile addition to any workshop. The top plate made of transparent plexiglass makes it easy to align the centering lines of the fixture with the markings on the workpiece. The length and width of the slotted hole of the device should be several more sizes nests taking into account the difference in diameters of the cutter and the copy sleeve moving in the slotted hole. Additional costs for the purchase of a ready-made device are compensated for by its quick installation and flexible construction of the size of the nest. Examples of these are the Mortise Pal and Leigh Super FMT models. The Mortise Pal has a built-in clamp and comes with six templates for milling jacks of different widths and lengths (additional templates can be purchased separately). The Leigh Super FMT benchtop attachment (www.leighjigs.com) allows you to mill both socket and dowel in one setup. The set includes guides and cutters for tenons and sockets in five different sizes. Additional guides are sold separately.

BILLET EDGE. When machining narrow workpieces such as this stand, use a clamp to hold down the auxiliary bar to keep the router stable. END OF WORKPIECE. An uncomplicated device creates a wide and stable support surface for the router when picking holes in the ends of the workpieces.

Method number 4. Drilling square holes is easy

Of course, from a technical point of view, the slotting machine does not drill, but chisels square holes. A rectangular socket is hollowed out around a round hole simultaneously with the drilling of the latter, for which a special auger drill is used, located inside a hollow cutter-chisel (softer than the photo on the left).This method of sampling nests is the fastest, but also the most expensive. Benchtop slotting machines that cover nearly all of your socket sampling needs cost roughly S225-500, floor standing models start at $ 900. (Keep in mind that some specialty machines do not come with cutters and drills, which cost between $ 10-30 per piece, and a set of four starts at $ 40.)

The drill has deep flutes that quickly evacuate chips, and the outer square chisel chisel forms clean cavity walls.

The long arm of the slotting machine generates the force required to drive the cutter into the workpiece.

Having set up a slotting machine, you will be able to select such a slot in less than a minute.

This is how a slotting machine works. First, install a chisel with a drill in the machine. Adjust the depth gauge according to the depth of the socket. Align the stop parallel to the cutter so that the latter is exactly between the marking lines. Form the ends of the socket first, then remove material between them by making overlapping holes. If you like this method, but are not ready to purchase a specialized machine, consider purchasing a slotting attachment for your drill press. These devices are relatively inexpensive ($ 65-125). The nozzle is installed on the quill of the machine (photo below)and works in the same way as a slotting machine. The disadvantage is that you cannot use the machine for conventional drilling until you remove the fixture.

In just 20 minutes, you can turn a drilling machine into a slotting machine by installing a nozzle attachment on the quill.

Now make thorns and fit them to the jacks

The dowels are convenient to use with milled seats. Saw off the tenons from a long workpiece, machined to the required section.

Depending on the selected method of sampling the sockets and the tools available, you can make spikes at the ends of the parts, or insert (separate) dowels that connect two parts with the nests.

The use of plug-in dowels involves the selection of the sockets in both parts to be joined, into which a sawed out dowel is inserted that fits both sockets (photo on the right).You do not have to buy blanks for dowels, but make them yourself from scraps of hardwood (for safety, process scraps with a length of at least 305 mm). Just bevel the workpiece to a thickness that fits snugly into the socket. If the ends of the socket are semicircular, mill the corresponding roundings on the stud blanks. After that, saw off the spikes of the required length from the workpiece.

Method number 1. Slot disc will help to quickly deal with spikes

The inlaid groove disc allows you to cut the spikes with high precision and minimal time consumption. Fine adjustment of the disc thickness is not required, as excess material is removed in several passes. To cut the cleats in this way, use the two outer discs, between which place three 3.2mm thick intermediate chipper discs. To prevent chipping at the exit of the blade from the workpiece, attach a plywood or MDF overlay to the cross (corner) stop of the saw machine.

After installing the groove disc in the machine, adjust its overhang so that it barely touches the spike marking line on the workpiece. Using a cut of material of the same thickness as the workpiece, make one pass on both sides and check the fit of the resulting tenon. Adjust the blade offset and test runs again. The result should be a snug fit of the tenon in the socket.

SLOT DISC SHAPES SHOULDERS AND CHEEKS AT THE SAME TIME

The slotted disc is fast and easy to use, but often leaves characteristic scratches that require additional cleaning.

First, cut out the face cheeks of the spike with a slot disk, and then the side cheeks. The high cross-stop pad will provide support for the workpiece when cutting the side cheeks.

Now set the longitudinal (parallel) stop of the machine so that it limits the length of the tenon. Measure the distance between the stop and the teeth of the outer disc farthest from the stop - this distance defines the line of the cleat shoulders. As long as the rip fence is parallel to the saw blade and the cross fence slots, making the pass will not pinch the blade or kick the workpiece back. Saw out with these machine settings both face cheeks of the tenon on all workpieces. After that, without changing the position of the longitudinal stop, form the side cheeks of the cleats, adjusting the disc overhang accordingly to obtain the desired cleat width. When you have finished cutting out the thorns, remove the roughness from their cheeks using a chisel or a sanding block.

Method number 2. With a tenon carriage, the spikes will be smoother

A tenon carriage like the one shown in right photo below,costs about the same as a good slot disc ($ 100-150), but it provides a cleaner cleat cheek surface. Adjust the saw blade overhang to match the width of the shoulder. Then, while advancing the workpiece with the cross stop, form all four shoulders of the tenon, as shown in left photo below.If necessary, when cutting edge (side) shoulders, adjust the overhang of the blade. Pre-shaping the shoulders ensures that they are clean and crisp.

First, make cuts to form the tenon shoulders. Feed the workpiece with the crosscut fence, using the rip fence as a stop for the tenon length.

Adjust the tenon carriage so that after sawing out the tenon cheek, the piece falls freely to the side, and is not pinched between the disc and the carriage.

To cut the cheeks, simply fix the workpiece at the end of the carriage in the carriage, adjust the carriage, aligning the marking line with the edge of the saw blade, adjust the blade overhang and make a cut. Turn the workpiece over and file the opposite cheek of the tenon. The thorn cut in this way will be located exactly in the center (if the thorn is to be displaced to one side of the workpiece, it should be cut at two different settings). Tenon carriages make it possible to form tenons not only at right angles, their backgauge can be tilted. If you want to save money, make a tenon carriage yourself.

Method number 3. Spikes on the band saw - rough and fast

Setting up a band saw for cutting dives is as easy as setting up a regular rip saw. Preform the tenon shoulders on the circular saw as described in Method # 2. After that, set the rip fence of the band saw so that the thickness of the spike to be cut is about 0.8 mm thicker than required, and cut (photo below).

While shaping the cleat cheeks, feed the board slowly so that the saw blade does not bend and the result is crooked cleats. Be careful to stop feeding the workpiece after the cut has fallen to the side so that you do not accidentally cut through the cleat shoulders. Sawed on band saw the cheeks will be slightly rough. For better adhesion of the glue, smooth them with a sanding pad or chisel.

Method number 4. Why cut if you have a milling table?

You can mill smooth and neat tenons on the milling table with just one router bit, cross and rip fence. First, insert a straight cutter with the largest available diameter into the router collet and adjust its overhang along the tenon markings. Install the rip fence milling table so that it limits the length of the tenon. At the same time, it must be installed parallel to the groove for the transverse (corner) stop - this ensures that the shoulders of the tenon are perpendicular to the edges of the workpiece.

The gap between the linings of the longitudinal stop allows you to remove the chips with a vacuum cleaner.

When you have finished setting up, start milling by first passing along the face. Continue one pass after another until the end of the workpiece slides along the longitudinal stop. (If you first form the shoulder of the tenon, there is a risk that on subsequent passes the workpiece may be pulled out of the hands.)

Good afternoon friends!

Today, let's take a look at one of the ways to make a classic joinery joint thorn - groove... We will make the connection not just by itself, but we will make a full-fledged product - a small decorative table. We will have the opportunity to practice, because for such a product it is necessary to immediately attach 8 tsars to the legs. Along the way, consider some other techniques for working with hand milling cutter.

We will start making a thorn-groove connection by cutting the groove with a hand mill. To do this, we need a milling cutter with a parallel stop and a straight groove cutter... In this example, the grooves are selected on the table legs at the junctions with the drawers. In the photos you see an example of making table legs from purchased balusters - this is how the table looks very impressive. However, if desired, you can also use a regular wooden block.

We mark the place of the future groove as follows: we find the center of the workpiece, because we want the groove to be exactly in the middle (in this case, the thickness of the bar is 50mm, respectively, the center is 25mm). We mark the boundaries of the future groove. A board with a width of 100mm will be used as the sidebars, respectively, we will make a groove 90mm. After marking, we install the milling cutter with a parallel stop so that the center of the cutter is located exactly along the axial line and proceed to sampling the groove.

To reduce the load on the cutter, it is better to make the selection gradually - in several passes, each time lowering the cutter lower and lower. In this case, the depth of the groove is 20mm, the sample was made in 4 passes with a step of 5mm. As you can see in the photo, on the first workpiece, I was not able to accurately observe the boundaries of milling and the groove turned out to be a little more than necessary. In this case, this is not a problem - all the same, the groove will be completely closed by the sidebar, but you should be careful and try to follow the markings. Without changing the router settings, we make the same grooves on all workpieces.

To avoid such a defect, linings are often pressed against the workpiece, which physically do not allow the milling cutter to go beyond the desired place, but in this case, since the groove is chosen too close to the edge of the workpiece, there is no way to apply this method and you have to rely only on your own strength. If you often plan to make a thorn-groove connection, you should think about making a template that will allow precisely make grooves close to the edges of the workpieces. You should also be careful with possible lateral displacement of the cutter - always press the rip fence firmly against the workpiece.

Next, we start making a thorn. I had at my disposal a circular saw, with the help of which there is nothing difficult in this. We take the blanks under the sidebars, set the height of the future spike to 20mm on the saw, and raise the saw blade above the table by a distance equal to half the thickness of the groove. In this case, a 15mm thick cutter was used, respectively, the saw blade is extended by 7-8mm.

Thus, without changing the saw settings, we process all 4 workpieces under the side arms on both sides. Then, if necessary, we change the height of the saw blade, and in the same way process them from the ends to obtain a full-fledged thorn.

It remains only to slightly round the corners of the tenon with a knife, for exact coincidence with the groove and the connection is ready!

After sawing off the legs to size, you can proceed to gluing the legs and tsars.

It remains for us to make the tabletop. In this case, it was cut by a router from a 30mm thick glued board. For more information on how this was done, see In principle, the tabletop can be of any shape.

Then the edge of the table top was processed with a molding cutter. And glued to the dowels to the tsars.

The table is ready! Agree, thanks to the baluster legs, it looks very impressive.

In the coming days, do not miss another note on hand router techniques. It will be interesting!

Good luck to everyone in your craft!

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